Picaro Restaurant, San Francisco Review

At Picaro in San Francisco, diners share small plates & sangria pitchers amid colorful, art-filled walls or on an outdoor patio. I have been to Spain few years back and this place is a refresher to my Espana memories. The ambience, food, flamenco and service is so much worth trying it atleast once. It’s our favorite hangout when want to enjoy the most amazing sangria and the delicious tapas. It’s one of the most inexpensive tapas place i know.

Before getting into the details of Picaro, here is a simple red wine sangria recipe.

Sangria is a typical beverage from Spain and Portugal. It normally consists of wine, chopped fruit, a sweetener, and a small amount of added brandy. Chopped fruit can include orange, lemon, lime, apple, peach, melon, berries, pineapple, grape, kiwifruit and mango.

Sangria is named after the Spanish and Portuguese word for “bloodletting” because of its typical dark-red color

Pour wine in the pitcher and squeeze the juice wedges from the lemon and orange into the wine. Toss in the fruit wedges (leaving out seeds if possible) and add sugar and brandy. Chill overnight. Add ginger ale or club soda just before serving.If you’d like to serve right away, use chilled red wine and serve over lots of ice.

Fun Fact about Sangria

The use of the word sangria in labels is now restricted under European law. Only sangria made in Spain and Portugal will be allowed to be sold under that name after the European Parliament green-lighted new wine labeling in January 2014

Now back to Picaro Restaurant 🙂

The ambience

The first thing which you will notice when you enter the restaurant is the beautiful and colorful ambience. The paintings, wall of the colors, the decor and everything takes you to some small town in Espana. The overall vibe of the restaurant is fun. You might want to make reservations as they are pretty full in the evenings. If you are lucky you might also get to catch a live flamenco performance

The Drinks and Food

Sangria at Picaro is to die for. The pitcher just costs 10 dollars and trust me you just can’t have only one pitcher

Here is the list of few dishes which were just amazing

Tortilla de Patata – Potato and onion omelet; one of the most popular Spanish Tapas

Patatas Aioli – Potatoes with homemade garlic mayonnaise

Cola de Langosta – Grilled lobster tail

Champiñones al Ajillo – Sautéed mushrooms with garlic

Padron Peppers

Different Varities of Paella

Cured ham on toasted French bread, spread with ripe tomatoes and olive oil